Smiling with God...

“Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech.” Proverbs 1:20-21 Everyone wants wisdom. Everyone wants to have the “secret” to life that will bring happiness, success, and fulfillment. However, the calling of wisdom is tricky. Here the wisest man of all time allows us to see the characteristics of where wisdom calls. He gives three distinct places. Wisdom calls us out in the street. She calls us in areas of public, in areas we are familiar with, in an area that is all around us. She calls us out at beginning of the street, in fact she cries out. She also cries out at the gateways of the city. The place where people come in and out. Three distinct places, three distinct situations. Now those places could be anywhere. But from what I gather, I think these places could be three distinct places in our lives. The street is our everyday life, our

“Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ”May you never bear fruit again!“ Immediately the tree withered. Matthew 21:19 This story always baffeled me. Why in the world would Jesus destroy a tree because it did not bear fruit. Then all of sudden I got it. The fig’s whole purpose was to bear fruit. If the fig did not bear fruit then what is the point of having a tree like that. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who taught that. A lot of preachers before me said the same thing. But they were on to something. Apparently It would be pointless to have a tree there ready in season and it looks like it is going to bear much fruit, but in reality it is empty. I wonder what God thinks of me. I wonder if He is thinking great things . Today’s lesson really pushes me to excel for the kingdom. Don’t slack. Grow the fruit. And why not God is asking us to help out in his wonderful kingdom. I pray that God show me how th

“But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” -Jesus (Matt 17:27) Here is an interesting verse. Jesus and Peter is approached by these regulators on paying a temple tax to the people there. Jesus knew it was wrong. He knew it wasn’t necessary but instead of just walking away, he instructed Peter to just go ahead and pay the tax. Don’t offend them. Jesus here picks his battles wisely. He did not give the temple tax people reason to find fault with Him or Peter. Jesus made sure that people mentioned here were not offended by He and His followers. He stopped the talk before it began. He made a decision put a small battle aside for the sake of keeping the ministry going. I needed to hear that. I needed to hear that not all battles are equal. Know when to hold and know when to fold, is a good strategy for poker